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Medical Writers Group

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Are You a Medical Writer?

Whether you are an established medical writer, or are writing your first medical book, you should consider joining the Medical Writers Group of the Society of Authors.

About Us

The Medical Writers Group is one of several specialist groups within the Society. It was formed in 1979 to offer practical help and advice to medical authors, and to provide a forum for discussion on issues affecting medical writers.

How to Join

To join the Medical Writers Group you must have one full-length work, or its equivalent, published or accepted for publication. The MWG is part of the Society of the Authors. Membership of the Society costs £90 per annum - click here to join

Benefits of Membership

  • Contract Vetting: on receipt of your first year’s membership subscription our expert staff will give confidential, clause by clause advice on the terms of your contract, before you return it to your publisher.
  • Advice on Copyright: particularly valuable for editors, the Society can advise on copyright, accountancy, tax and libel matters.
  • Support with problems and disputes: the Society will take up complaints for members and, in certain circumstances, may undertake legal proceedings.
  • Guidance: understanding the terms and practices of the publishing profession can be a problem for writers who work primarily in another profession. The Society can advise members on dealing with publishers, agents and the media.
  • Publications: the Society’s quarterly journal, The Author, is a unique source of information on all aspects of the business of writing. A series of Quick Guides includes some aimed particularly at medical and academic authors: Multi-Author Works, Revised Editions and Indexing Your Book.
  • Automatic membership of the ALCS: the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society, which collects and distributes monies received for photocopying and other fees, is notified of all new members.

Medical Book Awards

The 2008 Medical Book Awards – administered by the Society of Authors and sponsored by the Royal Society of Medicine – were presented in October. Click here for more details.

The Awards are currently without a primary sponsor and we are not accepting entries for the 2009 Award at present. We are making every effort to revise the prizes and publishers will be notified at such time.

The Awards are judged by members of the MWG and their professional colleagues.  Last year the judges were: Dr William Marshall (Chair), Dr Jeff Aronson, Mrs Barbara Bain, Dr Simon Davies, Dr Michael Feher, Mr Colin Johnson, Dr Leon Kaufman, Mr David Mitchell, Dr Jason Payne-James, Dr Anne Stephenson and Professor Gareth Williams.

Any member interested in serving on the judging panel (for up to 4 years) should contact Sarah Baxter stating their area of expertise and place of work.

Please contact Sarah Baxter with any queries.